Proof of Concept Study of an Oral Orthotic in Reducing Tic Severity in Tourette Syndrome.

The use of an oral orthotic, called an occlusal splint, has gained recognition for the potential to reduce the frequency of tics for individuals with Persistent Tic Disorders. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of a fully blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT) to assess the safety, tolerability and initial efficacy of the oral orthotic in youth with chronic tics. Thirteen youth were randomly assigned to wear an active or sham orthotic in a two week double-blind RCT, with a 4-6 week unblinded follow up period.

Treatment of separation, generalized, and social anxiety disorders in youths.

Separation, generalized, and social anxiety disorders are common and impairing for children and adolescents. Childhood-onset anxiety disorders frequently persist into adulthood and place youths at risk for future psychiatric disorders, including mood and substance use disorders. Comorbidity is common in childhood anxiety disorders, and studies increasingly take this into account when assessing potential treatments.

Microbially mediated abiotic transformation of the antimicrobial agent sulfamethoxazole under iron-reducing soil conditions.

Large quantities of antimicrobial agents used in livestock production are released to soils by land application of manure, but only limited information is available on mechanisms that contribute to antimicrobial fate in soils under variable biogeochemical conditions. Dissipation of the sulfonamide antimicrobial sulfamethoxazole was examined in soil microcosms incubated under different terminal electron-accepting conditions (aerobic, nitrate-reducing, Fe(III)-reducing, and sulfate-reducing). Somewhat unexpectedly, sulfamethoxazole dissipation was fastest under Fe(III)-reducing conditions, with concentrations decreasing by >95% within 1 day.

Type 1 diabetes-related autoantibodies are rare in Alaska native populations.

Objectives: When clinical data were initially gathered from the Alaskan Eskimos in the 1950's, diabetes mellitus was noted to be quite rare. The prevalence of diabetes has increased significantly since that time, with rates of 10% reported recently in some Alaska native populations. Our goal was to understand the pathogenesis of diabetes among these groups, with the hypothesis that Alaskan Eskimos were predominantly affected by type 2 diabetes, not by latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA).